3 Adrenaline-Fuelled activities I'll never do again

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm FAR from an adrenaline-junkie! I like my feet to be firmly on the ground and I despise that feeling that you get in your stomach when a roller-coaster drops. Just in case any of you try to convince me, I want to confirm that I will never again step foot on Alton Tower's Oblivion ride or Disney's Tower of Terror (I cried the last time I was on it - and it wasn't that long ago!)

With that being said, this blog might actually surprise you. Although I'm a little bit of a wimp when it comes to roller-coasters and extreme sports, I have still experienced next level adrenaline-junkie activities a handful of times. The thing about these activities is that, for me, they are (definitely) once in a lifetime experiences and can only happen in certain corners of the world. On these occasions, I have somehow managed to convince myself (with the help of others) to push myself completely out of my comfort zone and experience some of the planets greatest thrills.

Each of these adventures has made me appreciate that burst of adrenaline that thrill-seekers often get, and I have been lucky enough to have my breath taken away whilst seeing some of planet Earth's greatest treasures. One of my favourite quotes is "It's better to visit somewhere once, than hear about it a thousand times." And that's pretty much what I did - experienced these activities once. I very much doubt any of them will ever happen again, but I'll still cherish those experiences forever, and I'll always know what it felt like to seek these thrills;

Sky Diving

When flying out to Australia, the cheapest route I could find was via Dubai - so I extended the trip and did a couple of nights of luxury before starting my Aussie backpacker/hostel life. It couldn't have been more "one extreme to the other" - but it really was a great trip. I had organised a secret skydive for me and an old friend - this was tough! I knew it was something that she'd always wanted to do, but I didn't want her to have to experience it by herself, so the first surprise was booking it for her, and the second was actually participating! Everything had already been paid for which meant that I had no choice but to do the dive, otherwise it was a waste of hundreds of pounds. That was how I held myself accountable to do something that was so far from my comfort zone.

For those of you that haven't done a skydive before, I need to be the one to tell you that it is absolutely as terrifying as it sounds! Going up in a plane and looking out at what feels like the entire planet, seeing the roller door open and feel the powerful cold air blow in and burst through the open plane like turbulence, then there's watching your fellow skydivers jump out and get swooped away by the wind at 120 miles per hour. I can tell you now, that I was doing everything in my power to think of a way to get out of this. But then it was my turn, and I had my feet at the rim whilst peering over the edge of the plane at The Palm 13,000 feet below, strapped to the front of instructor. It was now or never - and after a 5-second countdown, I chose "Now".

Before my skydive, people had told me that I wouldn't remember it, and it turns out that they were right. I think I might have even closed my eyes for the initial jump (which I always do on roller-coasters). I do know that there were 90 seconds of free-falling before the parachute opened, however the plummet didn't feel like when your stomach drops on a ride - there was more resistance, so it felt like a force pushing against me. All I know is that it really took my breath away and once we slowed down I took the time to admire the incredible view.

Cycling Death Road

OK, so I agree that this even sounds crazy! But in an unexpected act of bravery, I decided to add this to my list of "Things To Do In Bolivia" after watching an episode of An Idiot Aboard. The clue is most definitely in the title - this is literally known as the world's most dangerous road. It's about 3 hours away from the Bolivia capital, La Paz, and I booked a 4-hour guided mountain bike tour.